How Do Sudanese People Coexist with the (Isolation) of the Internet Outage in RSF Militia Areas?

 

 

  Suhair Mohamed Abdallah

 

The weakness of communication networks due to the war in some areas of Sudan and their total cessation in other areas, such as in Eastern Al-Gezira and South Khartoum, made those areas live in complete isolation, which doubled the suffering of their citizens due to their direct connection to their livelihood and their utmost importance in various other aspects of life, as their cessation caused great paralysis and confusion in their social and economic life scene. Between the cases of displacement and asylum comes the necessity to find a means of communication that facilitates liaise with those who were forced by the circumstances of war to leave their families, in addition to its role in facilitating transactions through electronic application services such as (Bankak), which are completely impossible without the internet, as people’s livelihood is linked to availability of telecommunications.

 

Cautious Courage

 

After long suffering, individuals in areas under the control of the outlaw Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia resorted to (Star Link), which its price per hour is 3,000 pounds (SDG). This service is available only in some big cities, and access to which increases transportation costs and  requires cautious courage because the situation in the streets leading to and from those areas are not secure enough to enable them carrying their money and phones without hiding them for fear of the Rapid Support Forces militia, because you might arrive at the (Wi-Fi) location without a phone and stripped of your money.

 

Wi-Fi Service Centers’ Owners Suffering

 

Mohamed Adil Mohamed, owner of (Star Link), believes, during his talk to (Sudanese Echoes), that the hourly price is suitable and affordable for everyone, despite not covering the costs and expenses of the service they provide. He confirmed that the capacity of Star Link to connect mobile phones to the Internet is estimated at 40 phones, which are activated at the same time during the specified hour.

 

Different Opinions

 

(Sit Al-Banat Osman) says that we cannot do without communications because our lives are linked to them. When we are in dire need of  money to meet the costs of life, particularly in the case of illness, we miss them and need them to check on our children, our families, and those who have been displaced far from us.

 

Return to (Letters)

 

As for Abdullah Ibrahim, he said that the interruption of communication networks has led to our complete cessation of knowing the news of our relatives and children, whether they are inside or outside Sudan. He added that we have had harsh and bitter experiences because of this. Those who die, whether brothers, sisters, or relatives in other areas or those residing outside Sudan, we are unable to know how, where, or when their death occurred. Their news comes to us later through obituaries on social media by chance or through family groups, and those present in areas where some networks operate, or by sending a handwritten note via buses and travelers coming from the states, and even that would be after three days, a week, a month, or more have passed since their death. So you do not know what to do after that, and nothing compares to the feeling of helplessness, sadness, and pain that grips you after that.

 

Lack of Privacy

 

Musa Mohamed Ahmed believes that some of the places where Starlink devices are located have not been carefully chosen and may not suit all segments of society. Most of them are located in shops inside markets or in houses in neighborhoods rented by the owners of these devices. In many cases, there can be about thirty people in one room sitting in adjacent seats of different ages, which makes you feel that the place lacks the minimum level of privacy in communication, in addition to the loud voices of the callers that may make you lose focus and appear confused throughout the session you requested, until it ends, then you go without the benefit you intended.

 

Doubles the Crises

 

After the world has become a small and narrow village as a result of the development of communications technology, the interruption of the Internet and communication has doubled the crises that Sudan suffers from due to the war and its repercussions, which has deprived the oppressed citizen of the means of a decent life and made him endure its suffering and exhaustion.